Fan attachment for rocking-chairs.



M. WAGNER.

PAN ATTACHMENT FOR ROCKING CHAIRS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2. 19:5.

Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

5 "A Inventor m 'I If 0 Attorneys.

barren snares ra rnnr entries;

MATHIAS WAGNER, OF KOKOMO, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF THIRTY ONE-I-IUNDREDTHST0 FINIS F. HUNT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

Application filed. February 2, 1915. 7 Serial No. 5,752.

ing chair fans, and aims to provide a novel and improved fan attachmentfor rocking chairs, whereby the oscillation of the chair may be takenadvantage of for rotating a cooling fan.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a fan attachment forrocking v chairs embodying a unique assemblage of component parts,whereby the attachment may be readily applied to a rocking chair,

. and will be. adjustable to accommodate vari- 7 (ms sizes and styles ofchairs, the present attachmentbeing adapted to be disposed at the rearof the chair so that it will not inconvenience the use of the chair inthe .usual manner.

will impart a rotary movement to the fan for cooling the occupant of thechair.

l Vith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention- The invention has been illustrated in its preferredembodiment in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a sideelevation of the attachment as applied to a rocking chair. Fig. 2. is arear view thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail taken on theline 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail taken on theline 4-t of Fig. 1.

In carrying out the present invention, there is provided a yoke 1constituting the end strips or bars 2 which are attached at their remoteends to the rear ends of the rockers 3 of the rocking chair, by means ofU-clips or bolts 4 straddling the rear ends of the rockers 3 from belowand terminally engaged through the strips or bars 2. The yoke or crossmember 1 also includes an intermediate strip or bar 5 overlapping theinner ends of the strips or bars 2, the overlapped portions or" thestrips or bars 2' and 5 being slotted, as at 6, and clamping bolts 7being engaged through the cooperating slots 6 to clamp the strips orbars 2 and 5 at any position to which they are set. It will also beobvious that the yoke 1 is extensible and contractible by loosening theclamping bolts 7, whereby the yoke 1 will accommodate various rockers 3which are spaced apart more or less, the U-bolts or clips i beingreadily applied to the ends of the rockers 3 as Will be obvious.

The intermediate strip or bar 5 of the yoke 1 is provided intermediateits ends with an opening 8 and with upstanding ears 9 at the sides ofthe opening 8, and a sleeve 10 is fulcrumed between the ears 9 withinthe opening 8 by means of trunnion o-r pivot screws or elements 11threaded or otherwise engaged through the ears 9 and pivotally engagingthe opposite sides of the sleeve 10. In this manner, the sleeve 10 mayoscillate about a transverse axis parallel with the transverselydisposed yoke 1.

A standard '12 is slidable through the sleeve 10 to oscillate therewith,and carries a caster 13 at its lower end which is adapted to rest uponthe floor or surface upon which the rocking chair sets. The standard 12and opening of the sleeve 10 are preferably noncircular or angular incross section to per mit the standard 12 and sleeve 10 to slide relativeto one another, and to prevent the standard 12 from rotating within thesleeve 10.

A bracket or plate 1% is adapted to be secured in any suitable manner tothe back 1 13 of the rocking chair adjacent the upper end of the saidback and is provided with an upper rearwardly projecting fork 15' whichhas engaged through its arms, a pair of opposite trunnion or pivotscrews 16, and a sleeve 17 is ,trunnioned or pivotally mounted betweenthe inner ends of the screws or pivot elements 16. A rotary fan shaft 18is journaled to the sleeve 17, and a pair of collars 19 are secured bymeans of set screwsor in any other suitable manner upon the shaft 18immediately above and below the sleeve 17,

tate freely within the sleeve or bearing 17, the rollers 19 and sleeve17 being provided with suitable ball races for receiving the ballbearings as will be obvious. Theflsleeve or bearmg17 being trunnionedwithin the V fork 15, will enable the fan shaft 18 to oscillatebackwardly and forwardly about a transverse axis, when necessary. 7

The yoke 1 and bracket '14 are connected by a tie or connecting'rod 21which is terminally engaged at its upper end through a web 22 connectingthe arms 22 of the fork 15, and which has its lower end engaged througha forwardly projecting ear 23 provided upon the intermediate strip ormember of the yoke 1. Nuts 24% are threaded upon the upper andlower endportions of the tie rod 21 to seat against the web 22 and ear 23,respectively, for tightening the tie rod 21 and to brace thecorresponding parts offthe present device, as well as the chairstructure.

The fan 25 is carried by the upper protruding end portion of the shaft18, and embodies ahub 26 adjustably secured upon the shaft 18 in anysuitable manner, and having the inner ends of the shanks 27 of theblades 28 secured thereto in any suitable manner, whereby the blades 28may be swung to various angular positions about aXes intersecting theshaft 18. The fan 25 overhangs the rocking chair, whereby when the fanis rotated it will create a current of air to the comfort of theoccupant of the chair. 7

In order to rotate the fan shaft 18, the lower end of the fan shaft 18is operatively connected to the upper end of the standard 12 through themedium of a power trans- 'mitting device 30 for converting areciprocatory motlon lnto rotary motion.

The power transmitting device 30 in the present finstance, utilizes whatis termed in the market and trades, a Yankee screw driver embodying ascrew 31 received by a socket 32 which contains means cooperating withthe screw 31 whereby when the screw 31 and socket '32 are reciprocatedrelative to one another, the screw 31 is rotated. The details of thepower transmitting device or mechanism 30 are old and well known, andsince they form no part of the present invention, they need not bedescribed or illustrated in detail. In the present case, the upper endof the screw 31 is attached to the lower end of the fan shaft 18, andthe lower end of the socket 32 is secured to the upper end of thestandard 12, whereby when the standard 12 and the shaft 18 move to andfrom each other, due to the rocking motion of the chair, the fan shaft18 will be rotated with the screw 31, the device or mechanism 30 beingthe occupant.

preferably so arranged that when the shaft 18 is depressed so as todepress the screw 31, it will cause the shaft 18Vto be rotated.

In operation, after the attachment has been properly applied to arocking chair, and When'the occupant of the chair'rocks the same backand forth, as usual, the rearward movement of the chair will causetheback of the chair to swing rearwardly and downwardly, therebycarrying the sleeve or bearing 17 in a similar direction, and which willdepress the shaft 18 for rotating it. The oscillation of the chair willthus impart a rotary movement of the fan 25 for creating a current ordraft. of air to the-comfort of shaft 18, which are in alinement, mayoscillate slightly. relative to the chair if necessary to prevent abinding action,as the chair is rocked, since the sleeve 10 of thestandard 12 The standard 12 and the is trunnioned to the yoke 1 and thesleeve or bearing 17 of the shaft 18 is trunnioned to the bracket 14.The sleeve 10 will also slide up and down upon the standard 12, as therockers 3 move back and forth. The caster 13' enables the lower end ofthe standard 12 to rest upon the floor in a convenient mam ner, wherebythe standard 12 may be moved about with the chair, without marring thefloor, or tearing the carpet or rug upon which the standard may beseated. 'The present device therefore offers no hindrance 'to theconvenient use of the rocking chair,

but upon the other hand, the fanwill increase the comfort of theoccupant without material exertion upon his or her part; The rockingmotion of the chair imparts a reciprocatory motion to the fan shaft 18,and

the devlce or mechanism 30 in turn transforms the reciprocatory motionof the fan shaft 18' into a rotary motion thereof for actuating the fanin a. convenient and desirable manner.

An important feature of the invention resides in the fact that thedevice can be at-,

tached with equal facility and success to various styles of rockingchairs. This is due to the trunnioning of the bearing 17 and I sleeve 10to the bracket 14: andthe yoke 1 respectively, the trunnions being soarranged as to permit the bearing and sleeve to swing in a commonverticalplane when the yoke is adjusted to the rockers of the chair.Thus, in applying the device to any rocking chair, the bracket isfirst'attached to the back of the chair without regard to the particularposition of the bracket in and the yoke 1 can then vbe applied to therockers at I any suitable point thereof and at any suitable angletransversely with the standard 1 2, since the bearing 17 and sleeve 10wlll swlng in sald plane and adjust theme a vertical plane, 1

selves relative to the bracket andyoke to remain in alinement, Referringto Fig.1, it will be noted that the yoke 1 can be adjusted along therockers 3 without in any way impairing the operation of the device andwithout causing any of the working parts to bend or bind.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is A fanattachment for rocking chairs, embodying a bracket attachable to theback of a rocking chair and having a fork, a bearing trunnioned withinsaid fork, a shaft journaled through said bearing to move verticallytherewith, a fan carried by said shaft, a yoke having means forattaching it to the rear ends of the rockers of the chair, said yokehaving an opening between its ends, a sleeve disposed within saidopening and trunnioned to the yoke, a standard slidable through thesleeve to rest upon the floor, the

standard and sleeve being of non-circular cross section to prevent therotatlon of the standard, and a power transmitting device connecting theshaft and standard for transforming the reciprocatory movement of theshaft into a rotatory motion thereof, the trunnions of the bearing andsleeve being so arranged as to permit the bearing and sleeve to swing ina common vertical plane when the yoke is adjusted to the rockers.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MAT. WAGNER.

J. H. IRENMERGER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

